A Liverpool diplomat has looked back on his 20-year-plus career.
As part of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Martin O’Neill, who is originally from Edge Hill, has led a rapid deployment team to Tunisia to provide support after 30 British tourists were killed in a terror attack and helped those who were impacted by the Pandang earthquake in 2009 and the Icelandic volcanic eruption. Martin also played a role in dealing with the aftermath of the bombing of a Russian airliner in Egypt.
Since joining the FCDO in 2001, the 51-year-old has had overseas postings in Japan, the UAE, Estonia and the Phillippines, but following a move from Manila to Toyko in 2020, Martin took up his current role as Her Majesty’s Consul, leading the embassy’s support to British people living in or travelling to Japan and South Korea. However, the role he is in now isn’t one he always pictured himself in.
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He told the ECHO: “Growing up on a council estate in Edge Hill, I didn’t see myself having a career in the FCDO – I wanted to be an astronaut, perhaps the first inkling of my wanderlust. My first awareness of the FCDO was through a leaflet in the St Edward's College careers library, when I was in 6th form. I thought that being a British diplomat looked like a wonderful job, but I had no idea how to get there. I put the leaflet back and didn’t think about it until several years later when I was teaching overseas. I applied for a job, travelled to London for my interview and haven’t looked back since.”
As part of Martin's role, he "helps British nationals overseas when they face unfamiliar challenges". This can range from the "loss of a passport to a sudden death". Martin added: "We support our people in times of need, including those who are victims of crime or those who are detained by local authorities. We also prepare plans to enable us to respond quickly and effectively to major incidences and crises. It can be difficult and we are trained to watch out for one another as we assist in a crisis. Staying focused on our objective, for example, delivering the best possible support to our people and communicating as a team ensures that we stay healthy and provide solutions under challenging circumstances."
Martin's work hasn't go unnoticed as he was honoured for his services to British nationals overseas by the then-Prince Charles at Windsor Castle in June with an MBE.
The former St. Edward’s College student said: “I always loved visiting Liverpool’s fabulous St. George’s Hall. But I never thought that one day I’d be standing in the stately hall of the same name in Windsor Castle, after receiving an MBE from Prince Charles for services to British nationals overseas. It has been my privilege to work as part of a consular network supporting people who urgently need help, often during the most stressful moments of their lives. I have worked on a range of incidents and I’ve met Presidents, Princes and Prime Ministers in a career that has spanned 6 countries so far.”
With an estimated 5 million British people living permanently abroad and (pre-pandemic) over 90 million trips made overseas by Brits each year, the FCDO is running a campaign encouraging travellers to “Get Travel Smart” ahead of going overseas. The campaign, which is supported by a number of partners, including Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, signposts British travellers to all the actions they need to take before going abroad and urges people to check the FCDO travel advice pages for their destinations, to know the local laws and customs and recommends they have the right travel insurance in place before they set off.·
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